Last Friday, the Washington State Attorney General announced criminal charges against Former Seattle Seahawk defensive tackle Sam Adams. Adams is the owner of the West Seattle Athletic Club in Seattle and the Lincoln Plaza Athletic Club in Tacoma. While the Tacoma club is now closed, The Seattle Times reported that 20 employees filed labor complaints against the clubs for unpaid wages and benefits during his ownership.

Friday’s announcement marks only the second time the Attorney General has filed criminal charges in a wage-theft case. While the Washington Department of Labor and Industries investigates more than 4,000 civil complaints of wage theft a year, criminalizing wage theft has been a problem of enforcement in many communities. Seattle’s own efforts to criminalize wagtheft have resulted in exactly 0 convictions, despite being law for over three years.

The AG’s high-profile criminal charge against a former Seahawk as well as last fall’s Paseo suit involving unpaid workers brings much needed attention to wagetheft in the region.

The public can support such efforts to eliminate wagetheft by contacting your state legislator to show support for Senate Bill 5050 and companion House Bill 1089.